Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed
Written and Illustrated by: Stephen Kellogg
Illustrated by:Grades: K-4
Published by: Morrow Junior Books 1998
Genre: Biography, Nonfiction

Synopsis:  This book tells the story of a man named John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed.  It is divided into nine short chapters that start with Johnny as a young boy.  He likes to play alone in the woods and read to the animals.  Mr. Crawford, a friend, teaches Johnny all about apples.  This book goes on to tell the infamous story of how he planted apple trees to get his nickname.  When he was 18, he went off and planted his own orchard.  He takes care of pioneers and entrusts them to plant the bag of apple seeds he gives them.  He then sets off to plant them on his own.  He does good deeds along the way helping those in need.  It then explains how tall tales are made up for him describing things he may have accomplished and tells who John Chapman is.

Theme/Skill: John Chapman, Agriculture, American History, Animals, Hospitality, Helping, Apple Trees.

About the Author and Illustrator:  Stephen Kellogg
Ever since Stephen was little he had a love for picture books and drawing.  He attended the Rhode Island School of Design and majored in illustration.  His senior year of college he was able to win a fellowship and study in Florence.  When he returned to the states, he completed graduate work at American University.  He began to submit picture books to publishers at this time as well.  He has published numerous books including A Hunting We Will Go, Is Your Mama a Llama, Yankee Doodle, and Paul Bunyen. 

Source used: http://www.stevenkellogg.com/index.html 

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in an apple and brainstorm what comes to mind when they see the apple.  Ask what person this could be related to if no one mentions it.  Talk about John Chapman also known as Johnny Appleseed. 

Post-Reading Activities:  Make a poem together as a class about Johnny Appleseed recalling what happens throughout the book.  Look at different apples by bringing in different kinds and cutting into them.  Use this to help the children learn about the different kinds and the stages of growth during the seasons.  After you are done with discussion a good way to wrap up with a fun activity is to allow them to use the cut up apples to make apple stamps with paint to hang up around the classroom.  Also, this could be done around the time your class is going on a field trip to the apple orchard. 

Reflection:  This book is a classic that many teachers use.  I think this book would be great for teachers to use during the fall when apples are in season.  Children can learn about an American hero named John Chapman as well as apples and where and how they grow.  I think that this version of the story engages young readers through the picture book format which gives them brief text on each picture on the page.  I think that the illustrations in this book focus on the apples by making them the brightest objects on the page.  I think this helps keep the focus of the book, while readers hear about other things that Johnny Appleseed has done.  I like how at the end it tells who John Chapman is and puts the reality in the story.  I love this classic story that I think everyone has heard one time throughout their schooling. 

The Bus for Us

The Bus for Us
Written and Illustrated by: Suzanne Bloom
Grades: PK-1
Published by: Boyds Mills Press 2001
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book

Synopsis:  Tess waits with older friend Gus on her first day of school for the bus.  Tess has never seen a bus before and asks if every car that comes by is her bus.  There is a fire truck, ice cream truck, taxi, garbage truck, and many more that go by her.   She learns the names of the vehicles as she awaits her bus.

Theme/Skill: Transportation, School, Vehicles, Alterations in Words, Repetition.

About the Author: Suzanne Bloom 

Suzanne Bloom grew up in Portland, Oregon.  She then moved to New York City at the age of five and lived in a hotel until her family moved to an apartment in Queens.  She went to Cooper Union, an art school for college.   She became an illustrator and a writer.  In many of her works, she uses her children and items that she owns as inspirations for her illustrations and each book grows from a seed of truth.  She has published books including A Family for Jamie, The Bus for Us, My Special Day at Third Street School, and Girls, A-Z.   She has lived in Upstate New York for the past 25 years with her husband, two sons, and their cats and dogs. 

Source used:  www.suzannebloom.com

Pre-Reading Activities:  Have pictures of all different types of transportation all over the classroom for them to look at.  Talk about the transportation that we have and when we use transportation.  Ask questions such as:  What is transportation?  Have you ever been on a bus before?  What makes a bus different from a car?  What color is a bus?  Discuss with the class why we use different types of transportation.   

Post-Reading Activities:  On the board write all the ways that the kids are able to get around from place to place.  Then on a new piece of paper, write what makes a bus special.  Ask and list where the children have taken a bus before.  Then individually have students draw a picture of their favorite form of transportation and write a sentence or word depending on ability to describe it. 

Reflection:  I like the repetition this book uses.  It continually asks "Is this the bus for us, Gus?" as they are waiting for it.  It is a simple way for teachers to talk about transportation and the ways children and their parents get around.  The way it keeps using repetition makes it seem realistic since many children ask questions all the time, especially the same question multiple times.  Children are curious about things and it puts it in a perspective that they can understand.  The use of vibrant colors will attract children to the pictures and help them notice subtle differences in the words.  Even though some may not be able to read, they will notice the differences in pictures as the teacher turns the page.  Since it is repetitive in the book, having signs with jumbled wording will give kids something to look for and notice besides the new form of transportation that comes up.  The book also has unspoken things happen in it that the author does not address.  It has many more children come stand at the bus stop while the book progresses and has things happen to them that become unnoticed.  I do not see the purpose of this other than to have children be able to interpret what is happening without it being said.

Stellaluna

Stellaluna
Written and illustrated by: Janell Cannon
Grades:  2-4
Published by: Harcourt Brace and Company 1993
Genre:  Picture Book, Adventure

Synopsis:  This is a story about a bat named Stellaluna who was accidentally dropped by her mother.  She falls helplessly into a nest of birds whom they accept as long as she acts like a bird to not confuse the others.  Stellaluna tries to fit in but she wants to fly at night or hang upside down to sleep.  She only feels like the other birds when she is flying.  One day, she is discovered by another bat sleeping head up like she was taught by the birds.  Other bats are notified and Stellaluna is soon reunited with her mother.    she becomes friends withIn the end, Stelaluna reunited with her mother and remained friends with the birds who were different from her in many ways. 

Theme/Skill: Adventure, Nocturnal Animals, Individuality, Parents, Siblings, Friendship, Science

About the Author:   Janell Cannon

Janell was born in 1957 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Janell has a love for animals including bats, spiders, dragons, and snakes.  She was a graphic artist for the Carlsbad Library where she designed and produced the summer reading programs.  She then became an author and illustrator.  She has written many books including Stellaluna, Verdi, Pinduli, Crickwing, and The Stories Julian Tells.  She currently lives in Southern California. 

Source used:  http://lookingglassreview.com/html/janell_cannon.html

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in a bird’s nest for the kids to observe and look at.  Ask questions such as:  What do birds eat?  Where do they live? Use gummy worms to show what birds eat and how this is different from what we eat.  Then turn off the lights and see if the children can see in the dark.  Then turn on the lights and ask questions such as:  Have you ever seen a bat before?  What do bats eat?  When do bats sleep?  How and where do they sleep?   

Post-Reading Activities:  Use a Venn Diagram chart on the overhead to have the children compare a bird’s life to the life of a bat.  This will be used as a concept map to compare and contrast.  They will first compare based on what they know from the book and then will spend time in the computer room and library to find differences and similarities to bring back to the class.  The Venn Diagram will be completed when the bring their papers back to class.  They will hand in a sheet of notes with their partner for the teacher to look at. 

More lesson ideas: http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/offices/itd/cti/elementary/e_pc/pdf/word2/word2_lp.pdf


Reflection: I love the use of full page illustrations made from color pencils and acrylic. The depictions of the animals give them cahracter and make them look realistic. I think that the two pages included with facts about bats makes readers more intrigued to learn about this book and bats. I think that including this allows teachers to use this book in a variety of ways in the classroom. Teachers can talk from a science perspective and look at bats and birds like I did or take it from a different theme and look at friendship and family. I think that this story makes it easy for teachers to introduce different nocturnal animals and look at vocabulary words and lead into science experiments or factual information. It is really an engaging book.

Fishing in the Air

Fishing in the Air
Written by: Sharon Creech
Illustrated by: Chris Raschka
Published by: Joanna Cutler Books 2000
Grades: K-3
Genre: Picture Book, Fiction, Poetry

Synopsis: This book is about a boy and his father who get up early to go fishing.  They set off on their trip hoping to “catch the air” and “catch the breeze.”  On their way, the father has his son use his imagination and turn the lamps into moons and the trees into soldiers.  At the river, the child “fishes” out of his father’s childhood:  finding out about his little gray house and its surroundings of green fields and a clear creek where he learned to fish.  At the end of the day, the father and son have not caught any fish, but they have caught so much more through the memories and the day and he has learned how to fish in the air like his dad. 

Theme/Skill: Fishing, Family, Imagination, Diversity.

 

About the Author: Sharon Creech

Sharon was born in South Euclid, Ohio and grew up surrounded by her sister and three brothers.  She often visited Quincy, Kentucky where her cousins lived.  This place that contained a farm with hills and trees helped her create many of her books including Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird and Bloomability.  In college, she took literature and writing courses which made her curious about story-telling.  She became a high school English and writing teacher in England and Switzerland.  Since then she has written adult novels and children’s literature.  Her first book published in the United States was Walk Two Moons which received the Newbery Medal.  She is currently married to Lyle Rigg and has two children, Rob and Karin. 

Source used  http://www.sharoncreech.com/meet/bio.asp

Pre-Reading Activities: In order to catch a fish, you need to use a fishing pole.  Start a discussion about fishing while letting the class look at the fishing pole you brought in.  Then show the class the cover and have them tell you what they think the story is about.  Then discuss with the class how and why people fish.  Some do it for recreation while others fish for something to eat.  Ask questions such as:  Have you ever been fishing?  Where you do you fish?  Have you ever caught anything?  Who do you go with?  Then explain that when you are fishing you may see different objects in the sky using your imagination.  Put on the board different cloud forms that can be interpreted into different objects and ask the kids what they think it is. 

For example clouds in the shape of animals:
   

Post-Reading Activities:  Talk about what the child found out about his house and what it looked like around it.  Then, have the children draw a picture of their house and the things that surround it.  Then, at home, have them ask their parents what their house looked like when they were little.  The children should draw what is described and bring it to the class to explain to everyone. 

Reflection:  I love the imagination this book brings out in students.  I think that it will give students more confidence in participating in class because images they see in pictures will not have any wrong answers because it is everyone's own opinion.  I think that the post-reading activity will also help children learn about what their families childhood was like and what they grew up in or with.  It will help them find out more about their parents and may help make them closer.  It helps show them what connects them to their family and will make them feel important when they share this information with their classmates.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Written by: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Illustrated by: Lois Ehlert
Published by: Simon & Schuster 1989
Grades: K-1
Genre: Picture Book, Educational
Boston Globe/ Horn Book Honor

Synopsis:  This picture book tells the story of the letters of the alphabet and their encounter with a coconut tree.  There is a race between the letters to the top of the coconut tree. The letters are introduced and described in alphabetical order.  As the first letters go to the tree, the other letters follow suit and want to do the same.  There is always the question of there being enough room and putting too much weigh on the tree.  In the end the tree drops the letters, leaving them upside down.

Theme/Skill: Alphabet, Phonemic Awareness, Repetition, Rhyming.

About the Authors: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

Bill Martin Jr.

Bill was born and raised in Kansas.  He graduated from Emporia State University in Kansas with a teaching degree.  He taught in Kansas and was an elementary school principal in Chicago.  In 1961, he started to develop the literature-based reading programs Sounds of Language and The Instant Readers for Holt, Rinehart, and Winston in New York City.  Bill Martin Jr. wrote for almost 60 years and published more than 300 children’s books.  His first book he ever published was The Little Squeegy Bug-The Story of the Firefly in 1945.  He is the author of many classic books including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? , Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?, The Ghost-Eye Tree, Barn Dance, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Swish.  Bill Martin Jr. lived in Texas when he passed away in 2004.  He is known today as one of America’s favorite children’s author.

Source used: http://www.billmartinjr.com/bill_martin



                                                     
                                     John Archambault
John was an eager reader and writer as a child and was inspired by the book Charlotte’s Web.  His writing career started in high school when he had a job at a local newspaper part time.  He soon became a full-time reporter.  He graduated from the University of California at Riverside.  Archambault has authored and co-authored over 20 books.  He has worked side-by-side with Bill Martin Jr. on a variety of projects including  the creation of a supplemental reading program called the Sounds of Language.  The first book they co-authored was The Ghost-Eye Tree.  They have also written Barn Dance!, Knots on a Counting Rope, and White Dynamite and Curly Kidd.  He is developing a series of Big Books for Childcraft Education Corporation to help develop fluency and intuitive associations with print for developing readers.  In these Big Books he is incorporating CDs with read-along and sing-along versions to engage and make reading more fun.  He is now known today as a children’s book author, poet, storyteller, and musician.  He currently lives in Yorba Linda, California with his two sons, Arie and Kevin.

Source used: http://www.johnarchambault.com/about.html

Pre-Reading Activities: Bring in a small tree and hang the letters of the alphabet on it.  Each of the children will come up and take one letter off the tree.  After this ask such questions as: What letters are left on the tree? What letters did you take off the tree? Why do you think the letters are on the tree?  Have the children come up with a word that goes with their letter and write it on the board or dictate it to the teacher. 

Post-Reading Activities:  Looking at the words in the book that describe the letters, see how they are different from what the children came up with.  Ask such questions as: Why do you think we are putting the word blue with the letter “B” and the letter “C” with the word color?  Then after discussing this, have the students make their own letter out of paper and attach a word to it off of the list of words from the pre-reading activity.  Then have them place the letters on the tree that will stay in the classroom.

Ideas to use in the classroom: http://littlegiraffes.com/teaching-ideas/123/chicka-chicka-boom-boom-activities/

Reflection:  I think that Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is such a classic book that it will be used by numerous teachers for many years to come.  It is such an engaging story that gives alphabet leters some characters.  It allows early readers who are just starting to learn their letters along with sounding out words a book to follow along with and learn the letters.  It gives such a simple concept of letters going up a tree more complex ideas to expand upon such as cause and effect, the descriptions given to the letters, and the identification of letters with children.  There are many engaging lesson plans teachers can use from this that will make if fun for children.  The repetition of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom will also help students who are unfamiliar with their letters still to participate in reading the book and chanting. 

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors

Red Sings from the Treetops
Written by: Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by: Pamela Zagarenski
Published by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2009
Grades: PK-2
Genre: Picture Book, Poetry
Caldecott Honor Book

Synopsis: This book travels through each season and describes the colors that you see throughout it. It starts with spring and ends full circle with spring again with the color red. In this book, it associates spring with red and the red cardinals that appear singing and the buds of the leaves too. It talks about the green that covers the earth on the trees and in the grass. It talks about birds being born and how spring is also the new beginning to things. It then leads into summer and talks about yellow and the sun and how it melts everything it touches. It then goes into fall where it talks about green being tired and how brown rises and takes over. It ends in winter when you breathe blue and white traces all over everything. It ends with red and the inclination that spring will be here again with the cardinals singing. This completes the cycle of the seasons.

Theme/Skill: Seasons, Colors, Figurative Language, Poetry, Descriptive Language, Word Recognition

About the Author: Joyce Sidman

Joyce Sidman was born in Connecticut and has three sisters.  Education was an important aspect to her parents and herself as she was growing up.  She began writing in grade school by writing things down that came in her head to help her understand the world.  She discovered her love for poetry in high school from the inspiration of one of her teachers.  She loves using images and metaphors in her poetry to explain her thoughts and feelings.  She has written almost one hundred books, but currently has eleven children’s books that have been published.  Among these are Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, Dark Emperor, The World According to Dog, and Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors.  The latter book received the Caldecott Honor in 2010.  She currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two sons. 

Source used: http://www.joycesidman.com/biography.html

About the Illustrator:  Pamela Zagarenski

Pamela Zagarenski  graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BFA in Graphic Design.  She is well known as a published illustrator of thirteen children’s books.  Among these books are What Day Is It?/ Que Dia Es?, This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness, Mites to Mastodons: A Book of Animal Poems, Small and Large, and Red sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors.   Pamela is also known for her paintings that are on display in the Whyevernot Gallery in Mystic.  She currently lives in Stonington, Connecticut. 

Source used:  http://www.atthegallery.com/artists/zagarenski.html

Pre-reading Activities: Activating Prior Knowledge:  Break the students up into four gropus.  In their groups, give students a piece of chart paper, markers, colored pencils, and crayons.  Each group will receive a season as their topic: fall, winter, spring, or summer.  Tell students that their job in the group is to come up with a scene that represents the season their group was given.  When they are done, they need to present it to the rest of the class and explain why they chose the colors they did. 

Post-Reading Activities:  Following reading the book, students will again take their season that they had in the pre-reading activity.  Each student will create their own poem about the season they had first.  They can use the same picture from their chart to help write their poem or create another picture that they will use to describe their poem.  In their poem they must include at least two colors.  These colors must use the same strategy as in the book and have them highlighted in their color.  The poems must be at least 5-7 lines.  Students will have time to start these in class.  If they do not finish in the class time they will take them home to finish and bring them back the next day.  Students will then share them with a partner and have them edit their poem or give them ideas on how to fix them.  After this is done, they will then write a final draft and place it on the final paper with their picture.  They will share it with the class and then each poem will be used to create a class season poem book to put in the reading area. 
  

Reflection:  I think this book allows children to learn about the seasons both visually and auditorally. It not only allows children to learn their seasons but also their colors. While following along it writes the name of the color in that color. The pages make the color it speaks about pop out and allows children to pick out the different things the story is talking about. I think this book is especially good for visual learners who need pictures in front of them to be able to understand what the teacher is talking about. The rhythm of the book makes a nice read and easy for children to follow along. The book is lengthier than others but using intonation and questions throughout the story should keep students engaged throughout the entire story.

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Written by: Laura Numeroff
Illustrated by: Felicia Bond
Published by: Scholastics Inc. 1985
 Grades: Pre-K -3
Genre: Picture Book, Comedy

Synopsis: This book tells that story about what will happen if you give a mouse a cookie.  In this book, a boy gives a mouse a cookie which starts off a chain of actions. The mouse then asks for milk and a series of requests begins.  The boy grants the mouse's wishes everytime.  At the end of the story  after many activities, the boy and the mouse end up enjoying a cookie together. 

Theme/Skill: Friendship, Sharing, Kindness, Charity, and Wants and Needs.  It shows that every action has a consequence.  It uses sequencing, icrucluar reasoning, and cause and effect relationship. 

About the Author: Laura Numeroff   Laura was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. As she was growing up, she was surrounded by art, music and books.She was a Girl Scout as a child and loved reading, drawing, and making up stories. Instead of going to school to become a writer, she decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps and go to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to be a fashion designer.In her last semester she took a class in writing and illustrating children’s books.As a result, she graduated from college with a contract for her first book to be published by Macmillan.She has nine books that are published including Beatrice Doesn’t Want To, What Mommies Do Best, What Daddies Do Best, and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Source used: http://lauranumeroff.com/

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in the materials to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Play the song “Peanut Butter and Jelly.”  After listening have the class explain how to make it.  Questions to ask include: What order are things done to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  How did you know this?  Talk about the order and sequence of this.  Group the children and hand them each sequence cards of how to make it.  Have them put in order the sequence cards. 

Post-Reading Activities:  After reading, ask questions such as:  What was the order that things were done? How could you predict what was going to happen next?  Then as a whole group, have sequence cards again from the book and have the class put them in the correct order of when it occurred.  Then have the class return to their same groups from the pre-reading activity.  Give each group a scenario and have them predict 2-4 steps after that scenario that could happen.  Have them write down the order and draw pictures to go along with it.  They will then share this with the class.   

Reflection: This book is a classic favorite of many children. I love how it is a simple story that articulates a lot of concepts that teachers can use in the classroom. Not only does it engage children through the illustrations and words, but it allows teachers to come up with a variety of activites that will teach them cause and effect. I would definately use this in my classroom to use as a starter for cause and effect. Once I knew children could understand the content from this book, then I could use more difficult books with the class. I could also use her book If You Give A Pig a Pancake after this book, if I think they would need a little more help with cause and effect. 

Additional ideas to use in the classroom: http://lauranumeroff.com/teachers/story_starters.htm
http://webapps.monroe.edu/technologyservices/multimedia/guides/3322a.pdf

Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland

Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland

Written and Illustrated by: Robert Byrd
Published by: Dutton Children's Books 1999
Grades: 2-4
Genre: Folklore

Synopsis: This is an Irish folktale that tells the story of a giant named Finn MacCoul.  Finn MacCoul, who can see the future, lives at the top of Knockmany Hill so he can keep an eye out on the Scottish bully, Cucullin.   Since Finn is the tallest giant in Ireland and many think he is the most powerful, he becomes the target of Cucullin.  Finn tells his wife, Oonagh, and together they must come up with a plan so he does not get beaten up.  Oonagh devises a plan to have Finn pretend to be his own baby son when Cucullin comes.  Finn is able to trick him as a result and make him powerless when he loses his golden finger, the source of his strength.   


Theme/Skill: Ireland, Folklore, Finn MacCoul, Fear, Power, Outwit.
Message: Sometimes you can overcome something or someone without using your strength.

About the Author: Robert Boyd

"The most important thing is to have the small world I create in a picture perfectly match the words of the story, so that even if it is a make-believe world in the eyes and minds of the readers, everything you see is real."

Robert Byrd was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  He studied at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art.  He has been both an author and illustrator of many children’s books for over 30 years.  He has illustrated over sixteen children’s books including Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife, The Bear and the Bird King, Leonardo, Saint Francis, Barbarians, and Kubla Khan.   and many of his pieces of artwork have been displayed in many museums.  He teaches Children’s Book illustration at The University of the Arts and Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia.  He has a wife, two grown children and a cat.  He currently resides in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Source used: http://www.robertbyrdart.com/byrd/about.html

Pre-Reading Activities: Give children clues to a different riddle to get to the word “Folktale.”  Ask students what a folktale is and where they come from.  Put the correct definition of a folktale up on the board and tell how they usually have an underlying message in them. 

Post Reading Activites: As a whole group, we will brainstorm what the underlying message of Finn MacCoul and His Fearless wife is. Then students will use the message to explain in a paragraph how it could be helpful to them someday. As an ongoing activity, the children can find their own folktale story to bring in to share with the class.  

Reflection: love how this is a very comical story. It made me laugh as I read through it because you would never think that such a story would use such an event to overcome a situation. I think Byrd did a great job using humor to relay a message to the audience. Byrd uses his illustrations to capture the audience and keep them engaged as the story is a little lengthy. He doesn't make the words the focus of the page but rather the illustrations. He uses vibrant colors and has the picture take up the whole page without any white space. I think this story line will be good for children to learn about folklore and fables that are passed down in different cultures. 

I Love You, Bunny Rabbit

I Love You, Bunny Rabbit
Written by: Shulamith Levey Oppenheim
Illustrated by: Cyd Moore
Published by: Boyds Mill Press 1995
Grades: K-2
Genre: Picture Book, Realistic Fiction

Synopsis: This book is a story about Micah’s rabbit called Bunny Rabbit. Micah’s rabbit is very dirty and old. Bunny Rabbit has been through so much that she has no fur, has applesauce and chocolate milk all over her, and has been chewed extensively.As a result, his mom says that it is time to buy a new stuffed rabbit. He goes into the toy store, but nothing convinces him or appeals to him to buy a new one.Micah loves it so much just the way it is that his mother lets him keep it. 

Theme:  Attachment, Love, Family and Relationships, Friendship, Toys, Social Acceptance.

About the Author: Shulamith Levey Oppenheim

   

Growing up in her house, books were everywhere to be found.  She was read to extensively by her parents which also gave her a deep respect for books.  During her teenage years, she read many adult literature novels and poems.  She never dreamt of becoming a writer until she was influenced by another author.  She has written books including, Rescuing Eintsein’s Compass, The Seaking, Yanni Rubbish, The Fish Prince, and many more.  She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband, Felix.  She has three children and five grandchildren.   

Source used: http://www.shulamithoppenheim.com/

Pre-Reading Activities:  Prior to the day, send home a note to the parents to have children send in something they really enjoy.  The parents will be asked to help their children write three riddles for it and a reason that they like it so much.  Then on that day, the teacher will also bring in something that they really like, such as a bunny.  The teacher will model how the activity will go by having children give three guesses of what it could be.  If they don’t get it then they will have to reveal one of their riddles.  Children will raise their hands to guess again.  This will continue until all riddles are read and then the item revealed.  The teacher will reveal also the reason they like it so much.  Each student will then have a turn to do this. 

Post-Reading Activities:  After reading, ask questions such as: How would you feel if your item was taken away from you? Why would you feel like this? How would you explain your feelings to somebody else? Then have children draw a picture of their item they brought in.  Depending on their ability, students will write a word or sentence about their item.  These pictures will be collected and put together into a class book or onto a bulletin board for everyone to see.  They will be kept as records of students writing progress throughout the year.

Reflection:  I like how this book relates so well to little children. It hits on things that many little kids go through, having an attachment to some toy, blanket, or person that they do just not want to part with no matter how dirty or torn it may get. It helps children logically cope with things that may occur in their life. The illustrations of different size and shapes helps draw in the reader through the artwork. I think this is a good book to use to help children understand events they may go through in life in the most simplistic way that is possible.   

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Written by: Randall Jarrell
Published by: Collins Publisher 1987
Illustrated by: Nancy Ekholm
Grades 1-3
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book

Synopsis: This fantasy book tells the story of Snow-White, the most fairest of them all.  After escaping her wicked step-mother, the Queen, she lived with the seven dwarfs in their tiny house.  She was tricked three times by the Queen who was trying to kill her.  The last time with an apple that put her in a deep sleep.  The prince came along and saved Snow-White and they lived happily ever after. 

Theme/Skill:  It talks about family, strangers, friendship, royalty, work, and revenge.  It can focus on the skills of sequencing, main idea and details, cause and effect. 


About the Author: Randall Jarrell

Randall was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1914. He attended Vanderbilt University and received both his bachelor’s and master’s degree from there.Jarrell met and married Mackie Langham, a colleague, at the University of Texas.His first poem written was published in 1942 entitled Blood for a Stranger.After enlisting in the Army Air Corps that same year during World War II, he soon left and served as a technical sergeant teaching celestial navigation in the army. With a lot of inspiration from the army, he published a book in 1945 entitled, Little Friend, Little Friend.After the war he went to New York, where he was an acting literary editor of The Nation. He also taught at Sarah Lawrence and later Woman’s Collage also now known as UNC-Greensboro. Randall died in 1965. He is known as renown poet, critic, and author.

Source used: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/9

Pre-Reading Activities:  Bring in apples for all the children to eat.  Ask questions such as:  Why would you eat this apple that I gave you? Would you eat this apple if a person that you didn’t know gave it to you?  Explain to the class about strangers, who they are, and rules to abide by if they are approached by a stranger. 

Post-Reading Activities: Following reading the book, ask questions such as: How was Snow-White’s step-mother like a stranger in the book? What should you have done if you were Snow-White and were approached by a strange old lady? Then as a class they will come up with a contract of what they are to do if they are in the presence of a stranger. The teacher will read over the contract and then one at a time each child will come up and sign their names. This can then be hung up in the classroom for all to see.

Reflection: I love the story of Snow-White. However, this version of Snow-White does not make it child friendly with the numerous amount of wording on each page. If a child was reading this on their own they would have to be very fluent and have a wide ranged vocabulary. The picture book is very lengthy and I think many kids would become disinterested in the story if it was read all at one time. I think to read it effectively would be during snack time and a few pages a day to keep the kids wanting more. I also think that this version may be outdated to use in the classroom, and that the movie would serve a better purpose that would probably get the kids more engaged.   

Martin's Big Words

Martin's Big Words

Written by: Doreen Rappaport

Illustrated by: Bryan Collier
Published by: Hyperion Books for Children 2001

Grades: 2-6
Genre: Historical, Picture Book
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award

Synopsis: This book is a biography of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  It uses brief sentence strucutre and phrases Dr. King said to highlight key points in Dr. King's life.   In the beginning of the story, Martin reads a “White Only” sign in his hometown which sets the stage of the struggles he will endure throughout it and the perseverence he uses to overcome it.  In the book, Martin grows up and becomes a preacher.  He studied Gandhi’s writings and put his ideas into practice at the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  He did other civil rights demonstrations and gave speeches across the nation that many people came to listen to. The events help children understand why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is such a big influence and heroic figure of his time.

Theme/Skill: It talks about themes of rights, freedom, equality, love, justice, and moral decisions of right and wrong. 

About the Author: Doreen Rappaport

Doreen was born and raised in New York City.  Doreen went to Brandeis University and majored in music.  After she graduated she taught music and reading for seven years in New Rochelle, New York in junior high schools.  In 1965, she taught at a freedom school in McComb, Mississippi.  While she was there, she met many African American who were deprived of rights that she took for granted.  As a result of this, she decided to set out and write about unknown heroes that have fought for their rights.  She wanted to write about this lost history that she did not know of.  Doreen loves to travel, cook, garden, visit schools, and talk to children.  She now resides in New York City and Copake Falls, New York with her husband.

Source used: http://www.doreenrappaport.com

Pre-Reading Activities:  Play a recording and hand out a copy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I have a Dream” speech for the class.  While listening, students can highlight key words of phrases on their sheets that they believe are important that Dr. King stated.  A student will be chosen to be a scribe to chart the key words and phrases students have come up with.  Other words or phrases not mentioned in the speech that promote diversity and equality can also be written down. 

Post-Reading Activities:  After reading, the class will discuss the reading by answering questions in their journals.  Such questions would include: What did Martin notice as a little boy that made him want to help people? How would you feel if you couldn’t do something because of one of your unique characteristics?  Then coming back as a whole class we will discuss what they learned.  Then individually students will use the phrases and words written down in the pre-reading activity to help write their own “I have a Dream” speech.  They will be submitted and then a few winners could be selected to read this at an assembly for Martin Luther King, Jr. or during black history month.

Reflection: I like how this book sends such a strong message, but uses such a simple structure and wording that children will understand. It doesn't use too many difficult words or scenes that young children would not understand that his rights were being denied and that life was not equal for all people. I also like how pictures coincide with the words. For example, it says on one page, "Everywhere in Martin's hometown he saw signs, WHITE ONLY." Accompanying this line was a picture of Martin standing with his mother next to two water fountains that read "White Only." Having the pictures coincide with the wording helps lower readers understand the book better and the concepts they are trying to get across. In the book, I think it was important that the author incorporated some of Dr. King's words throughout the book. This allows children to get a feel of who Dr. King was and also allows teachers to use the book in a variety of ways. 

For more ideas visit: http://www.biff.bm/files/12/files/martins_big_words.pdf

Domitila

Domitila
Written by: Jewell Reinhart Coburn
Illustrated by:  Connie McLennan
Published by: Shen Books 2000
Grades: 2-4
Genre: Fairy Tale, Fiction, Multicultural

Synopsis: Coburn adapted the story of Cinderella and put a Mexican tradition twist on it.  Domitila works as a cook in the governor’s house to raise money for her father and sick mother.  She cooks her famous nopales for Timoteo, but unexpectedly needs to leave because her mother dies.  Timoteo searches for her because he knows she is the one and they end up living happily ever after.

Theme/Skill: Themes such as work, poverty, death, and love.  It talks also about the Mexican tradition.  It deals with skills such as sequence, cause and effect, analyzing story elements.

About the Author: Jewell Reinhart Coburn

Coburn has many experiences with diverse cultures since she has studied and lived abroad.  Coburn has a doctorate in Higher Education administration and two honorary degrees.  Not only has she written Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition but also two other books similar to this including Angkat, The Cambodian Cinderella and Jouanah: La Cenicienta Hmong.  She currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband Bill.

Source used: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/88708.Jewell_Reinhart_Coburn

 

About the Illustrator: Connie McLennan

Connie grew up in Yreka, California.  She started painting and drawing at an early age by working on projects with her mother constantly.  She graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a degree in journalism.  Then she attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco.  She worked as a freelance illustrator in 1982 and then illustrated for advertising, institutional and editorial projects, and illustrated for 13 children’s books.  She attended painting workshops to better enhance her illustrations. 

Source used: http://ckmclen.fineartstudioonline.com/about

                                            
Pre-Reading Activities:  In order to start off on a more simple idea, students will compare and contrast an apple and orange.  As a whole-group students will create a Venn Diagram taking turns coming up to the board and writing down something similar or different in the correct place.  Explain that just like comparing an apple and an orange you can also compare different versions of books and movies to one another.  Explain you will compare the American Version of Cinderella to a Mexican version entitled Domitila.  We will then watch the movie Cinderella and map out the main ideas of it. 

Post-Reading Activities:  After we read Domitila, we will map out the main ideas of it just like we did for Cinderella.  Both charts will be hung up in front of the class side by side for each child to see. Then in small groups, children will look at both charts, and compare and contrast the two versions using a Venn Diagram.  Students will come together when they are finished and share with the entire class. This can also be expanded by drawing further upon cultures by seeing how they are similar and different. 

Reflection: I love this story and how students and the audience can make connections from this book to other books, especially to the traditional version, Cinderella. I think it is a good story to work on story elements with children especially characters, setting, plot, climax, and resolution. Although it is a lengthier story, a teacher could break it down into different parts for students to read. On each section, the teacher could come up with an activity to focus on. This would allow students to work on a variety of skills using the same book. I think the illustrations also help to depict the Mexican culture and the similarities and differences it has to Cinderella. I love this rendition and the connections it makes to my all time favorite fairy tale, Cinderella.

Link to further activities: http://www.hbavenues.com/highpoint/library/pdf/HP_LL_TG_B4_2.pdf